Challenging Wickedness

Thursday 17 November
READ: I Kgs. 18:18 - 24
MORE LESSON: I Kgs. 18: 31 - 39

At a time, Israel forsook God and started worshipping fake gods. It was at such a time that Elijah the servant of God took up the challenge and confronted the evil in the land. Elijah the Tishbite first locked the heavens so that there was no rain upon idolatrous Israel. After three and a half years of absolute draught, the king met him one day and accused him of troubling Israel. He replied the king, I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father's house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the Lord, and thou hast followed Baalim: I Kings 18:18.
Elijah threw a challenge to Israel, her king, all the false prophets and gods; he said, Now therefore send, and gather to me all Israel unto mount Carmel, and the prophets of Baal four hundred and fifty, and the prophets of the groves four hundred, which eat at Jezebel's table. . . and call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the Lord: and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God. And all the people answered and said, It is well spoken: 1 Kings 18:19, 24.
What we need more than ever is for God's children to rise up and challenge wickedness in various places in the land. We need all children of God to rise up in the power of God and the spirit of Elijah and confront everything that is contrary to God's agenda in the land. This has to start from our homes, neigbourhood, workplaces, cities, states and nations. God will not come down to stop ungodly laws and practices. It is the responsibility of His children on earth. The Bible says, The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord's: but the earth hath he given to the children of men: Psa. 115:16; also Matt 18: 18 says, Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
God is committed to challenge what you challenge. This is the reason when Elijah challenged the false prophets on Carmel, Jehovah showed up and answered by fire. Never fear to confront everything that is anti-God in your family and enviroment, God will back you up. The Lord answers fully and satisfactorily. In the case of Elijah and the prophets of baal, He proved Himself and silenced the enemies and the false prophets paid for it with their lives. Every agent of wickedness in your vicinity will fall down at your challenge, in Jesus’ name.
There are several ways by which we can challenge wickedness to surrender:
1. Practical Christian Living. The life that you live challenges wickedness to surrender.
2. Effective Prayer Life: Confronting evil in the place of prayer consistently.
3. Evangelism: Be courageous to tell the wicked Jesus saves.
Jesus won, you will win.

Prayer/Action
* Today, I challenge every altar of evil in the name of Jesus to bow.
* I receive the spirit of boldness to declare the gospel anywhere without fear.

TODAY'S PROPHETIC PRAYER
Today, I raise a standard of the Holy Ghost against every force of regret and backlash, in the name of Jesus.

The Rich Man in Hell

Tuesday 15 November
READ: Lk. 16: 19 - 31
MORE LESSON: Mark 10: 23 - 25

The story of the rich man and Lazarus has made many people to erroneously believe that wealth is sinful and poverty is synonymous to holiness. They claim that since the rich man went to hell and Lazarus went to Heaven, then it is good to be poor and poverty will make you righteous. This ideology is unscriptural. Those that advocate this doctrine forget that Lazarus went to meet Abraham in Heaven and Abraham himself was a super-wealthy man. So it wasn't wealth or poverty that led the rich man or Lazarus to where they went. The rich man went to hell because he refused God and lived in sin. If any man lives in sin and refuses salvation in Jesus Christ, such a man will go to hell whether he is rich or poor. If Lazarus, in his abject poverty, had not accepted Jesus as Lord and Saviour, he would have suffered on earth and still gone to hell.
Lazarus could have been rich and still made Heaven if he had learnt the ways of God as far as prosperity is concerned. A person can be saved and if he doesn't learn the principles of God for prosperity, he will still be poor; that is what happened to Lazarus. God doesn't have problem with His children being wealthy and prosperous, He only has problem with riches taking a man's heart away from God. This is the reason Jesus warned, ...how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God: Mark 10:24 -25.
A man who is rich and spends his wealth on sin and self, taking no account of the things of God, when he closes his eyes in death, he will not escape hell. However, a man who is rich and submits his life to Jesus Christ and uses his riches to further the course of the gospel, when he leaves this earth, he will find himself in eternity with Jesus Christ. God has pleasure in the prosperity of his servants (Psa. 35: 27). This prosperity should not take us away from God but make us come nearer to Him and give our all to Him.

Prayer/Action
* Father, let Your blessings upon my life draw me closer to You, in Jesus’ name.
* I receive the grace to use my gifts, talents and worldly goods to serve God, in Jesus’ name.
* I will not be poor in life, in Jesus’ name.

TODAY'S PROPHETIC PRAYER
All prophecies of fall and failure over my life, by the blood of Jesus, I destroy you, in the name of Jesus.

The Fire of God

Monday 14 November
READ: I Kgs. 18: 38
MORE LESSON: Psa. 97: 1 - 9

There is a God that answers by fire. It is this same God that sent fire from Heaven on the altar that His servant built on Mount Carmel. He Himself is the consuming fire (Heb. 12: 29). When Elijah called on God to send fire from Heaven, he asked that four large jars of water be poured on the altar three times. This fire of the Lord burned the sacrifice, the water, the wood and all the altar. Ordinarily, 12 jars of water poured on a sacrifice would have prevented fire from burning. But the wonder working God made water to burn like fuel. 1 King 18: 38 says that the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. How much more also your enemies? Water naturally would have prevented fire from burning but God's fire burnt water. Whatever wants to prevent your destiny from working, the fire of God burns it up today.
The fire of God burnt stones! Stones are hard but no matter how hard that situation of your life might be, the fire of the Lord will handle it. May be that situation has been difficult and unyielding despite all that you have done, then it is time for you to send the fire of God to it. All problems that constitute a mountain in your life will be burnt down by God's fire. The fire of God is a multi-action agent; it even burnt dust. Dust makes people dirty and brings shame and reproach. When a man dresses well and falls down and becomes dusty, he feels ashamed. The fire of God can burn everything that causes shame and reproach in your life. The fire of God will mess up everything that is messing you up. Whatever makes people to ask where your God is, will be visited by fire today. When the fire of God fell, it also consumed wood. Wood is supposed to assist the burning of fire but on Mount Carmel, the wood was helpless because there was no fire. The prophets of baal had wood but it didn't help the situation as there was no fire.
Only after the fire of God fell that the wood burnt as it was supposed to. There are things and people that are around you and are supposed to help you but are not, don't fight them or get angry with them. It is because fire has not fallen from Heaven, when the fire of God falls, they will respond to you hastily.
The answer to life's problem is in calling on the God of fire. Today God will send His fire into your situation and turn things around.

Prayer/Action
* Lord, let Your fire fall upon me to rekindle my love and zeal for You, in Jesus’ name.
* I command the fire of God to fall and consume every unpleasant situation in my life, in Jesus’ name.

TODAY'S PROPHETIC PRAYER
I prophesy, my tomorrow shall be better, greater and more glorious than my today, in the name of Jesus.

Not So II

Sunday 13 November
READ: Matt. 25:9
MORE LESSON: Gen. 39: 1-9

A child of God must know what to accept and what to reject. You can't accept everything that is presented to you because you do not want to offend people. Accepting everything that people present to you is not being nice. Learning how to say 'not so' is part of wisdom. You must say it to men when necessary and you must say it to the devil every time he suggests his offers to you. Answering the devil back is a vital tool in spiritual warfare. Never let the devil have the final word in your life and matter. Tell him, 'not so, Mr. Devil.' Be informed that there is nothing that satan offers you that you must consent and there is nothing he says that you should keep quiet. The right answer to defeat the devil on any case is, ''not so”.
When he suggests that little headache is not bad, after all everyone has headache now and then, tell him not so; Jesus has borne all my sickness and diseases. If he tells you that the course in school is difficult and it is okay to fail it since there is massive failure, tell him “not so”. The fact that everybody failed doesn't mean you should fail. Sometimes he uses prophets of doom and evil dreams to tell you that the journey you want to embark on will have challenges on the way; tell him “not so”. The Lord has promised to preserve your going out and coming in. Even if he brings the matter to your sight and you are looking at it with your naked eyes, still look at him and tell him, 'not so'. Walking by faith entails looking into the spiritual rather than the physical and that means you have to look at the devil plus his concrete evidence and tell him, “not so”.
Faith confuses satan. When he talks and you answer back with wisdom and boldness, he is scared. When the devil brings an offer and you tell him, 'not so', he trembles. This is because he realises that he has no right over you as long as you do not give him a chance. So, your 'not so' actually means 'satan, I disqualify you and disallow you on this matter.' Remember, the Scripture says, ...neither give place to the devil: Eph 4: 27. How do you refuse the devil a foothold in your life?
1. By telling him, 'not so!'-Jam.4:7.
2. By not keeping evil company- ICor. 15:33.
3. By loving God and resisting evil-Isa. 1:16-17.
4. By refusing to love the world-I Jn. 2:15-16.
5. By seeking for divine assistance in matters that seem confusing in life instead of keeping secrets or struggling alone.
6. By praying and committing every evil request that comes to you to God-Prov. 3:5.

Prayer/Action
* I resist every evil suggestion of satan contrary to the Word of God, in Jesus’ name.
* Satan you have no memorial over my life and destiny, in Jesus’ name.
* I renounce every appearance of evil, no way today, in Jesus’ name.

TODAY'S PROPHETIC PRAYER
Every persisting wind contrary to my lifting, in the name of Jesus, fade away.